Shadow and Bone

Corporalki guard. I held my head high and even smiled at one
of the young noblemen standing by the entrance to the
ballroom. I was surpised to see him blush and look down at his
shoes. I glanced at Marie and Nadia to see if they had noticed,
but they were gabbling about some of the dishes served to the
nobles at dinner—roasted lynx, salted peaches, burnt swan
with saffron. I was glad that we’d eaten earlier.
The ballroom was larger and grander than even the throne
room had been, lit by row after row of sparkling chandeliers,
and full of masses of people drinking and dancing to the
sounds of a masked orchestra seated along the far wall. The
gowns, the jewels, the crystals dripping from the chandeliers,
even the floor beneath our feet seemed to sparkle, and I
wondered how much of it was Fabrikator craft.
The Grisha themselves mingled and danced, but they were
easy to pick out in their bold colors: purple, red, and midnight
blue, glowing beneath the chandeliers like exotic flowers that
had sprung up in some pale garden.
The next hour passed in a blur. I was introduced to countless
noblemen and their wives, high-ranking military officers,
courtiers, and even some Grisha from noble households who
had come as guests to the ball. I quickly gave up trying to
remember names and simply smiled and nodded and bowed.
And tried to keep myself from scanning the crowd for the
Darkling’s black-clad form. I also had my first taste of
champagne, which I found I liked much better than kvas.
At one point, I discovered myself face-to-face with a tiredlooking
nobleman leaning on a cane.
“Duke Keramsov!” I exclaimed. He was wearing his old
officer’s uniform, his many medals pinned to his broad chest.
The old man looked at me with a flicker of interest, clearly
startled that I knew his name.
“It’s me,” I said. “Alina Starkov?”
“Yes … yes. Of course!” he said with a faint smile.
I looked into his eyes. He didn’t remember me at all.